Kheer (Rice Pudding)
By Afton CyrusPublished on March 17, 2023
Time
1½ hours, plus cooling time
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
What Kids Are Saying
“My favorite thing about this dish is how well the cardamom flavor goes with the rice pudding.” —Ceionna, recipe tester, age 14
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Basmati rice is traditionally used to make kheer and will give the pudding its signature texture. You can substitute other long-grain white rice, but the texture will be looser. A skin may form on top of the milk as it cooks; this is normal and you can stir it back in. Kheer can be served plain or dressed up with toppings. During Hindu festivals, such as Diwali or Puja, kheer is often topped with a sprinkle of slivered or sliced almonds, chopped pistachios or cashews, shredded coconut, raisins, chopped dates, or fresh or dried rose petals (make sure that they’re labeled for cooking if you use dried). A pinch of saffron or a dash of rose water can also be added as the pudding cooks.
Instructions
- In large pot, combine milk, sugar, cardamom pods, and salt. Heat mixture over medium-high heat until it just comes to boil (milk will foam up—be careful not to let it boil over), stirring with wooden spoon and scraping bottom and edges of pot occasionally to prevent scorching.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in rice. Simmer (small bubbles should break often across surface of mixture), continuing to stir and scrape bottom and edges of saucepan occasionally (every 10 minutes at first, and more often as mixture thickens), until rice is soft and pudding has thickened to consistency of loose oatmeal, 50 to 55 minutes (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Cook Kheer”). Turn off heat and slide pot to cool burner.
- Let pudding cool for at least 20 minutes. Use wooden spoon to remove cardamom pods and discard. Serve warm. To serve cold, transfer pudding to medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap; and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Pudding can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Time
1½ hours, plus cooling timeYield
Serves 4 to 6What Kids Are Saying
“My favorite thing about this dish is how well the cardamom flavor goes with the rice pudding.” —Ceionna, recipe tester, age 14Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Rice pudding is eaten throughout South Asia, and is known as kheer in North India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Just a handful of simple ingredients—milk, rice, sugar, and sometimes whole spices—transform into this ultracreamy dessert. Over the 50- to 55-minute simmering time in step 2, have kids observe the kheer as it thickens. Every 10 minutes, have your kid describe the consistency of the filling while they stir it—they can even take photos or videos, if they like. How has the texture changed over the simmering time? Simmering the rice and milk for nearly an hour allows some of the water in the milk to evaporate and breaks down the rice, releasing a portion of its starch into the surrounding liquid and thickening the kheer’s consistency.
Before You Begin
Basmati rice is traditionally used to make kheer and will give the pudding its signature texture. You can substitute other long-grain white rice, but the texture will be looser. A skin may form on top of the milk as it cooks; this is normal and you can stir it back in. Kheer can be served plain or dressed up with toppings. During Hindu festivals, such as Diwali or Puja, kheer is often topped with a sprinkle of slivered or sliced almonds, chopped pistachios or cashews, shredded coconut, raisins, chopped dates, or fresh or dried rose petals (make sure that they’re labeled for cooking if you use dried). A pinch of saffron or a dash of rose water can also be added as the pudding cooks.
Instructions
- In large pot, combine milk, sugar, cardamom pods, and salt. Heat mixture over medium-high heat until it just comes to boil (milk will foam up—be careful not to let it boil over), stirring with wooden spoon and scraping bottom and edges of pot occasionally to prevent scorching.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in rice. Simmer (small bubbles should break often across surface of mixture), continuing to stir and scrape bottom and edges of saucepan occasionally (every 10 minutes at first, and more often as mixture thickens), until rice is soft and pudding has thickened to consistency of loose oatmeal, 50 to 55 minutes (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Cook Kheer”). Turn off heat and slide pot to cool burner.
- Let pudding cool for at least 20 minutes. Use wooden spoon to remove cardamom pods and discard. Serve warm. To serve cold, transfer pudding to medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap; and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Pudding can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments